Waimea Shingon Mission Bon Dance

In June 1908, plantation-era Japanese immigrants in Waimea completed a small worship hall called Waimea Daishido. The property was purchased in 1925, and a new temple and living quarters were dedicated on January 31, 1926. On May 4, 1928, the Koyasan Shingon Mission Head Temple in Japan granted the official name Waimea Shingonji. A fire in March 1976 destroyed the entire temple and facilities, which were later rebuilt. The mission is the only Shingon-sect temple on Kauai.

The two-night festival draws hundreds of attendees for bon dancing and an extensive food lineup. Recent years' menus have included flying saucers, andagi, the Anda-Dawg (an andagi pronto pup), yakitori, curry and rice — including Michiko's famous curry — nishime plate, roast pork plate, maze sushi, cone sushi, and shave ice. Food service opens before dancing begins on both nights.

Bon dance (bon odori) is the centerpiece of obon, the Japanese Buddhist season honoring ancestors. In Hawaii the tradition arrived with plantation-era immigrants and became its own local institution — most temples across the islands hold a dance on a summer weekend between June and September, and the whole community turns out.

The setup is consistent: a yagura (a raised tower) anchors the temple yard, taiko drummers and singers keep the beat, and dancers move in concentric circles around the tower. You don't need to know the steps or be Buddhist to join — follow the circle, copy the person ahead of you, and you'll pick it up by the second song. Around the edges you'll find food booths selling andagi, plate lunches, shave ice, and saimin, plus craft and game tables.